


Blood in the Breeze

by glackedandmullered



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: blood blood blood, supernatural beings au, where michael is a vampire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-28
Updated: 2015-01-28
Packaged: 2018-03-09 12:15:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3249326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glackedandmullered/pseuds/glackedandmullered
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael thought it had skipped over him, that he would remain human. He changed alright, and being a vampire was harder than he could have thought.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blood in the Breeze

10:46. 

Michael groaned at the harsh neon light piercing through the darkness into his squinted eyes, as he tried to figure out what has woken him. He didn’t need to pee, there wasn’t that nagging in his bladder, nor did he need to puke; two of the main culprits to middle-of-the-night waking. He couldn’t recall if he had been dreaming - he’d only gone to sleep less than an hour before, how would he have had time to dream - so it was a no to the nightmares possibility. 

Realisation hit him like a steam train after a minute, in the form of a tangy taste in his mouth and a sharp pain that felt like someone was drilling deep into his gums without any attempt at pain relief. 

Something leaked down his chin and he curled around himself in the bed, one hand shooting up to his mouth while the other searched the bedside table blindly for his lamp. As his fingers closed around the chain, he tugged and the room burst into light, sending a lance of pain through his head. He had a headache too it seemed. He disregarded that the second his eyeline flicked down and he saw what had leaked out of his mouth. 

It wasn’t drool. It was red. 

A deep red spot of blood that adorned the pillow, spreading out as it soaked into the fabric. 

It was on shaking legs and with nervous breathing that he staggered out of bed and to the bathroom, trying to remain as quiet as possible since he knew his Dad would still be awake downstairs. One hand remained tightly clamped over his mouth and he puffed out his cheeks to hold the blood at bay so that it wouldn’t slip down his throat or past his lips. 

The bathroom light was much brighter than his bedside lamp, spearing Michael’s brain with thorns, but he brushed away the pain as he collapsed against the counter and pulled his hand away. Spitting out the liquid that had flood his mouth, he saw the sink turn sickening red, blood splattering on the white porcelain. He recoiled away from the mess, gagging around the taste of rusty iron on his lips and winced at the sudden stabbing pain in his gums. 

A couple of dry heaves hand his muscles tight and aching but nothing came up besides another trickle of blood. Glancing up at the mirror, he shuddered. Usually a fetching shade of pale, his skin had dropped a shade, looking more grey with veiny undertones, dark bruise-like circles under his eyes. The blood had dripped down his chin even more, coating his lips and the skin beneath with violently bright red.

He peeled back his lip and examined the reddened patches. There was so much blood that Michael found it hard to locate exactly where the source of it was, it was slicked all around his teeth and tongue, coating the back of his throat too. 

Pouring out a glass of water he tipped a large quantity into his mouth and swirled the liquid around, wincing at the sting in his upper gums; there was a smear of blood on the edge of the glass when he pulled it back. Immediately after spitting out the, now definitely blood red, mouthful he lifted his lip and watched as blood seeped anew out of the gums around his canines. 

What the-?

It didn’t seem to be as thick after the first burst, more like a soft trickle that filled up his gum and dripped out of his mouth but didn’t flow like the river it had been before. The drilling pain had shifted into something more akin to a sore ache.

After twenty minutes of standing before the mirror, letting the blood drip down as he held his lip out of the way, the blood just stopped. His mouth was just suddenly dry, with nothing wetting his palette bar saliva that made itself known once the blood had stopped, dribbling down his chin while he stared at the gum, daring it to leak red again. 

It didn’t. Instead, once giving his mouth another rinse out, it looked like nothing had happened. The only evidence of the episode was the splattered red on the porcelain which Michael quickly washed away along with the dry crimson on his hands. 

It was 11:18 before he tucked himself back into bed, flipping the stained pillow to the other side, hiding the mark from view. He was asleep in seconds.

\---

3:14

He was choking. Startled awake by something lodged in his throat. 

Spluttering, Michael wrenched himself out of bed and crashed down the hallway to the bathroom again, this time making no attempt at staying quiet. He collapsed over the sink, coughing harshly and trying to breathe. Hitting his chest with 3 firm blows that knocked the remaining wind right out of him also dislodged whatever was stuck, catapulting the offending object out of his throat and onto the porcelain with a sharp clatter. 

Without his glasses or the bathroom light to aid him, he was useless to see what it was until he leaned right down, close enough for his nose to almost touch the white surface but reeled back when his vision focused on the small object. 

It was a tooth. 

He practically climbed the counter in his attempt to get close enough to the mirror to see into his mouth. By now it was once again filled with blood, but from the angle the light above was shining, he could see the gap where his left canine used to be. It was dark, almost black in the centre, but something was glinting in the light. Inside the gum. 

He must have looked ridiculous, kneeling on the counter with one leg dipped down into the sink, the plughole digging into his knee uncomfortably; but that was the least of his problems in that moment because he could see what was sticking out of the gum. A needle sharp, pointed tip. 

His eyes were bloodshot, vessels burst from the force behind his attempt at breathing as he scrambled back and off the counter. He lost balance as he landed, almost falling down with dizziness but managing to hold himself upright - just barely. 

Creeping back to the mirror again, he cautiously pulled his lip out of the way and cringed as he saw the sharp tip of a new tooth indeed growing slowly out of the space. 

The canine on his other side throbbed and, as Michael lifted a finger to carefully touch it, that tooth also dropped. It clattered into the sink and fresh blood took its place. He didn’t need to look into it to know it would be in the same state. 

Dizzily meeting his own eyes in the mirror, he saw the flash of red intermixed with hazel and sighed. 

“Fuck.” 

\---

“It happened,” Michael said as the line connected, not even giving Ray a chance to complain about being woken up at 5am.

He’d sat on his bed, paced his room, googled ‘genetic vampire’ for an hour until he gave in and had to call someone. Geoff and Gavin would both chew him out if they’d been made to wake up early, Jack would have insisted on coming over, and Ryan turned off his phone at night so the only one left, really, was Ray. 

Not that he had any qualms about calling his best friend, but he wasn’t old enough to have come into his genetic inheritance and someone with experience would have been preferable. Especially Geoff, since he had specific insight to this particular string of genetics. 

"Dude, really?" Ray yelped, woken up completely at his friends words. 

Michael nodded before realising Ray wouldn’t see it, “it actually happened.”

“I told you!” Ray exclaimed, clearly about to wake up his family with his shrill tone, “I told you it would happen! You’re just a late bloomer!” 

Michael wasn’t sure if he was quite as excited as his best friend seemed to be. After waiting with baited breath through the week leading up to his 16th Birthday and then subsequent days following it, he was sure that the inheritance wouldn’t hit him. His parents never presented, nor their parents before them; it would have made sense that Michael would remain human too. 

Jack, who woke up three days after his birthday to find the reflection staring back at him resembled that of a small ginger house cat, was insistent that Michael may just need to give it a little while to develop. Ryan and Lindsay told him to thank his stars that he hadn’t changed at thirteen, as werewolves did, and at least it meant he wouldn’t be howling at the moon with them. 

It was frustrating, not knowing - not even being able to find out - whether he would change until it either happened or didn’t; and if he did, then what he would be. Shapeshifters, Werewolves, Faeries; the world was infested with them. At one time you were more likely to come across an albino kangaroo in the middle of times square than a creature; but now it was the humans who were few and far between. 

As far as creatures went, however, it could have been worse. 

Realising he had been silent for an embarrassing amount of time, Michael mumbled, “yeah yeah, congratulations on winning nothing.” 

“Shit, your right, should have put money on it,” Ray whined, paying no mind to the stint of quiet from Michael’s end - Michael could absolutely see the boys drooping shoulders as he spoke, “Gav totally would have taken that bet.”

“Gavin will take any bet going, even if it’s a surefire loss,” Michael commented.

“That boy’s gonna have a serious gambling problem one day.” 

Michael hummed affirmatively, stopping to suck his teeth, successfully slicing the tip of his tongue on his fangs. It was gonna take a while to get used to that. 

Ray clearly heard the small yelp that stuck in Michael’s throat, because the next second he said, “what did you end up being? Was it a faerie? or a pixie? I can totally see you with teeny fluttering wings, please tell me you have wings Michael, I wanna touch th-”

"Vampire,” Michael said firmly, cutting Ray off. 

Ray sounded almost disappointed with the answer, “Really?”

Michael gingerly touched one fang. The gum was sore, swollen and red around the new teeth. They had both stopped bleeding at this point, only the coppery taste remained, staining his tongue no matter how much water he drank in an attempt to get rid of it. 

"Yeah, definitely vamp." 

“But we’ve already got one of those!” Ray huffed. 

“I’m sorry that my undetectable, unidentifiable genetics haven’t turned out the way you wanted them,” Michael replied dryly, rolling his eyes though no one could see it but his own reflection in the window. 

“I’m just saying, it would have been cool, to see you with wings,” Michael didn’t agree with that statement. He remembered when one of the girls in his class came in with her faerie inheritance; she was in pain all day, the wings starting out as weak cartilage structures before unfolding and growing a thin membrane between the ‘branches.’ If having two teeth come through had hurt as much as it had, Michael found it hard to imagine how much pain it would cause to have wings emerge from his back. 

Kids in middle school used to tell tales about the wings literally breaking away from a faeries spine, splintering the bone before forming their own shape. 

Shuddering, Michael scoffed, “maybe you’ll get your own and you can perve over them all you like.”

“Hey! I would look damn good with wings,” Ray defended, after a pause he added, “okay so tell me, what’s it like?”

Considering it for a moment, Michael frowned, "The mirror thing is a myth and fangs fucking hurt." 

“Goddamnit, I _knew_ Geoff was lying about the mirror,” Ray said. The oldest of the group had almost managed to convince everyone that - while they could see his reflection in the mirror - he couldn’t see his own. It was his general excuse for showing up with bed hair, an uneven shave, and general unkempt appearance. 

As it turned out, Geoff was just fucking lazy. 

There was a pause from Ray’s end before he muttered, unsure, "What about bloodlust?" 

"Nothing yet,” the vampire replied quietly.

\---

As with every other morning, his Dad was out at work and his Mom was sleeping off the night shift she had just worked; so Michael was left to leave for school without a word. He bypassed the breakfast his Mom had placed on the table, teeth feeling much too sore to use for anything yet, and instead crossed straight past the kitchen and opened the front door. Ray was waiting for him at the end of the pathway, leaning against the gate leading to Michael’s front yard, he was bouncing on his toes, practically vibrating with excitement.

“Let me see, let me see!" The boy insisted, attention totally focused on his friends mouth.

With a dramatic eye roll - though secretly starting to enjoy the attention - Michael gave a sly smile, his lips moving out of the way just enough for Ray to see a flash of fang. 

“Cool," his friend breathed, taking a nice long look at the fangs before leaning away from the gate so that Michael could open it to get out, "they're smaller than Geoff's," he added.

Michael shrugged, "Geoff's had his longer, I bet his were this size when they first came through too."

Ray squinted, took Michael’s face in his hands, and the next thing Michael knew he had his best friends small fingers inside his mouth; moving his lips to get a better look.

"I dunno man, they look fully grown to me," Michael grumbled and yanked his mouth away from Ray’s inquisitive hands. The movement dragged the tip of Ray’s finger over the razor sharp tooth and he pulled back with a yelp, his finger immediately going into his mouth as blood pooled on the digit.

“Serves you right for sticking your hand in my fucking mouth,” Michael hissed, feeling something bubble in his stomach at the sight of blood but nothing more than a queasy feeling from the memory of the taste in his mouth. 

“Let’s just go,” Ray bit out sourly, pouting around the finger in his mouth, already three steps ahead. 

\---

Michael could feel eyes on him as soon as he walked through the school’s main doors. Realistically he knew he didn’t really look much different; his fangs weren’t long enough to dip below his lip unless he showed them off and his eyes were still their usual rich brown. His skin may have been a shade paler but it wasn’t particularly noticeable. 

No, the eyes on him weren’t human, and it was Michael’s aura that attracted their attention. He’d never quite understood when his friends tried to explain how it felt when you pass by someone like you - a creature - but now he could see why it was so hard to describe. In Physics they played with magnets, holding up polar opposite ends until the magnets clicked together as is their nature, the connection to others like him in the space surrounding felt a lot like that. Like he was naturally built to be close to these people and, while before he couldn’t have identified a wolf in a crowd, now he could have rounded up every single one in a three block radius. 

He could almost taste the atmosphere change as he made his way to his locker, whispers and stares made him walk faster and, by the time he was turning the lock, his hands were shaking. 

“Calm down, dude,” Ray whispered, keeping his voice low. 

“I don’t like their eyes on me,” Michael replied, his voice just as hushed and he tossed his bag into the locker, tucking himself away from the prying eyes. 

Ray frowned, “no one’s looking at you.” 

Daring to turn around, Michael sank back against the wall, they were _definitely_ looking at him. Everyone stood still, staring with wide eyes; not moving, not talking, just...staring. 

“Michael.” 

Ray’s hand was on his arm and he blinked, realising he was still shaking - now more than before. His eyes flicked briefly to Ray, taking in the concerned expression and soft touch and, when his gaze returned to the hallway, no one was looking. No one even gave the impression that they ever _had_ been looking. 

He didn’t like this creature thing. 

Before Michael could think any more about it, an increasingly high pitched sound came roaring towards him and - before he could even look to see the source - he was tackled so hard that his back slammed into the locker. 

“My boy! You did it!” the English accent was immediately recognisable. 

Michael spluttered as the air was forced from his lungs.

“Did it? Gavin it’s not a fucking skill set, I didn’t learn a fucking magic trick,” he pushed the Brit away, fixing his crumpled shirt, “wait how did you know?” 

Ray held his hand up guiltily, “eheh, I may have...sent out a couple of texts.” 

“Raaaaay,” the vamp whined. 

The boy shrugged apologetically, “what? you might not be excited but this is huge!” He defended.

“Lemme see then,” Gavin interrupted, clearly sick of being left out of the conversation. 

Like Ray, the Brit’s hands went straight for Michael’s mouth, lifting up his lip so quickly it caught on Michael’s tooth and he winced, pulling away from Gavin’s searching hands. 

“Oi! what’s with everyone and sticking their fingers in my fucking mouth?” he snapped. 

Licking at the tiny nick, he flashed his teeth on show and Gavin gasped. 

“Look at you! All grown up with your fangs!” the Brit cooed, hands curling around his own mouth excitedly. 

“Gavin!” The Brit huffed as a new voice boomed across the hallway. 

“Stop. Fucking. Running. into the middle of traffic,” Jack hissed at Gavin as he jogged over to where they were standing. He was panting heavily, leaning over his knees to regain his breath, “you’re gonna get yourself killed.”

Michael snickered and Jack grinned at him, taking in the sight of the newly transformed Vampire.

“And I told you not to hassle the poor kid,” he chastised, ruffling Gavin’s hair affectionately, “give him some space.”

“He’s fine, Jack,” Gavin said, rolling his eyes at the older boy, “look he’s a vamp like Geoff!” 

“Yeah I know, you told me in the car,” Jack replied with a smile, before turning to examine Michael more closely. 

“So look at you!” he beamed, “I knew you wouldn’t be human,” 

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Michael complained, pouting. 

“Because you reek of supernatural aura,” Ray said dreamily, waving his fingers dramatically until he received a well placed fist to his gut.

“Are you saying I smell?” Michael argued playfully, crowding the human against the locker with a sly smile. 

Making a zipping motion across his mouth Ray shushed himself, “as your best friend I cannot lie to you-ow!” Cut off by sharp nails digging into both of his sides he curled in around his stomach. 

“I fucking hate you,” Michael laughed. 

He turned to see Jack studying him carefully, “So how do you feel?”

After a beat of deliberation, Michael shrugged, “A bit cold, my mouth aches like a bitch, but otherwise pretty good.” 

“Thirsty?” Michael squinted a little in confusion, and pointed to his locker. 

“I’m fine, I’ve got water in my bag.”

Shaking his head, Jack hushed his tone, “no, are you _thirsty_?” the vamp’s eyes widened as he clicked to what Jack was asking and ...Oh. 

Backtracking, Michael swallowed hard, “am I about to tear someone’s throat out and drain them dry? Nah.” 

Satisfied with the answer, Jack nodded, clapping him on the back with a solid hand, “you probably have a few days yet,” he mused. 

“I swallowed enough of my own blood to satisfy me for a while,” Michael said, a shiver running down his spine as he thought about the mornings events. 

That perked Gavin up and he edged closer, “How much did you bleed?” he asked, obvious fascination coloring his English lilt.

“Like a chick after she gives birth,” Michael replied after a moment of consideration.

A firm slap to the back of his head knocked him forward, and a feminine voice suddenly spoke inches from his ear, “and how would you know about that.”

“Fuck! Lindsay, you scared me,” he plastered a mock look of annoyance on his face but broke out into a smile as his friend embraced him. 

He gave a small wave to Ryan as he appeared from the side, with the full moon coming up, he and Lindsay were spending a lot of time together, pack mentality coming out full force. 

“I knew you wouldn’t disappoint!” She squealed, squeezing him tightly. Having the werewolf gene gave her a powerful grip which Michael definately felt as she crushed his ribs between her forearms. He was sure it had never felt that strong when she had hugged him before. 

“Ow, ow, Lindsay release!” he croaked, stifling laughter in her shoulder. 

He gasped as she leapt away, stuttering apologies, “I thought you’d have strength like Geoff!” 

“It’s been like six hours,” he coughed, drawing breaths into his lungs with force, “I think I’ve got more developing to do.” 

Lindsay stepped back, hitching her backpack further onto her shoulder and Michael turned around to shove some books in his bag. 

“So, last night, did you have any funky dreams?” Gavin asked suddenly with curiosity in his eyes, and Michael spluttered under his breath. Leave it to Gavin to go straight for the perverted stuff.

“That’s a bit fucking personal, I don’t come to you asking about your wet dreams,” the new vampire snapped in reply, bristling at the unwelcome question.

Gavin looked offended, “Michael!” he squawked with an indignant expression on his face.

“What? That’s exactly what you just asked me!” Michael barked back, wondering in the back of his mind if this was just some weird British thing or if it was just a weird Gavin thing.

“No, I asked about funky dreams.” the Brit repeated as if that would clear things up but if just left a confused and even more irritated young vampire.

“What the fuck is a funky dream?” Michael asked, fearing what the answer would be only after the words left his mouth.

“Like, a bloody version of a wet dream,” Gavin clarified. There was a brief moment of silence while Michael processed the statement before an almost visceral need to go take a shower overtook him. Goddamn Gavin had a fucked up mind.

“Oh, my God. You did not just say that.” the auburn haired man groaned, his voice tapering off into a pathetic whine.

“What? Geoff got them all the time when he was developing!” the youngest of their group chirped, a look on his face that said he thought this was a perfectly normal conversation to be having in public. Michael obviously disagreed.

“No, Gavin, I didn’t have any funky blood dreams,” he hissed back, turning to face his locker, fiddling with the contents as a way of diverting himself from the conversation.

Before Gavin could carry on the conversation any further someone appeared beside Michael, flinging one arm around Michael’s shoulder, pulling him back from his locker.

“Did I hear right? Do I have myself a protege?” someone said excitedly into his ear, and Michael spun around, coming face to face with Geoff Ramsey; one of his best friends and a notorious vampire around the town. 

“How did you find out?” Michael began but paused, shaking his head, “wait don’t tell me, Ray.” 

“Sort of. Gavin,”

They fucking lived together, of course Gavin told him. 

“After Ray texted him - at 6am i might add,” he turned his attention briefly to Ray, who leaned against the locker, making himself small against the scrutiny, “he was in my room fucking jumping on my bed yelling _Micoo’s a vampire, Micoo’s a vampire,_ like it was fucking Christmas,” Michael snorted at the boys attempt at mocking Gavin’s accent.

An offended look passed over Gavin’s face, “It’s exciting, you mong, Michael’s a little you!” 

“I’m not a little anyone,” the younger vamp growled back. 

Seeing Michael about to pounce, Geoff curled an arm around the young one’s waist, “okay children, calm down,” another second and he felt Michael’s heartbeat starting to slow against his chest, “Tell me, Michael, how’s vamp life treatin’ ya?”

The young vampire sighed, “So far painful, and I feel like everyone’s looking at me.” 

“Paranoia comes with any transformation,” Ryan supplied helpfully, “it doesn’t last long, it’s just the sudden blend of aura’s that your head needs to get used to feeling.” 

“As for the pain…” Geoff began sympathetically, “it shouldn’t last more than a day or two, then you’ll be back to your- well you’ll be your new self.”

Biting his lip, Michael cursed, startled once more as his fang nicked the skin, creating a tiny slit across his bottom lip. 

Geoff laughed and Michael pouted, being extra careful about where his fangs were placed, “and these? are they gonna stay this sharp forever?” he asked, hoping Geoff would say no, after all the older vamp was fully capable of biting his lip without tearing it in two, Michael had seen it plenty of times. 

“I’m afraid so buddy, you’ll get used to them soon enough,” Geoff informed him, chuckling. 

\---

Fourth period, that’s when everything fell apart. 

The science lab was warm, overly warm since the previous class had been using burners and the air was still thick with heat. It made Michael sweat - Ray too, as he let out a low whistle and rolled up his sleeves - and even his cooled blood seemed to bubble in the warmth. Unfortunately, that meant that everyone else was doing the same. 

The professor apologised and forced open a couple of the windows but it didn’t help a certain creature in the room who sniffed out the raised pulses and flushed skin immediately. 

In under five minutes, Michael’s head had gone fuzzy in the wake of thirty human vessels all teeming with overheated, high pressured blood flowing thickly through their veins. The girl sitting at the desk in front of him scraped her hair back, throwing it up into a messy bun, exposing the skin on her hot neck to the air. 

Michael could _see_ the blood pulsing against her pale skin, dark and inviting. His fangs throbbed, eyes itching…

_Fuck, this must be blood lust._

Geoff’s hadn’t come in until almost four days after he changed, but then again, Michael had been late in developing. Everything was coming at once. 

His eyes narrowed on her throat as she leaned back in her chair, shifting closer to him. He could see her carotid artery dark under paper thin skin, blood pumping furiously. Something shot through Michael’s mind, akin to lightning it electrified his nerves gave him a craving he couldn’t fully get a hold of. 

The thought kept spiralling, whipping up a storm that set Michael’s whole body on edge. 

_Bite._

The thought was so strong that the vampire almost fell off his chair as it came to the forefront of his brain. Looking away didn’t help, since everywhere he turned there were more and more bodies, more blood, more _prey-_ ‘No, don’t think like that’ his mind supplied and he ducked his head down, breathing heavily.

“Michael?” The name was soft on Ray’s lips, questioning and full of concern. It forced Michael’s head up off the desk. 

Everyone’s eyes were on him again, or at least it felt that way. The few seats around him were occupied by students watching him carefully, and he wondered just how loudly he had been breathing. 

His eyeline shot to Ray’s neck - pale with a hint of flushing - suddenly wanting to dart his tongue out, to taste the light sheen of sweat, to clean off the skin before sinking his teeth into those slender, blood filled-

“Michael!” Ray called sharply out as Michael shot out of his seat and darted towards the door, his vision was tunnelled and he nearly crashed into the doorframe in his haste to escape.

After staggering down the hallway, he threw open the bathroom door and rushed into one of the stalls. Slamming the door with a loud crack, he fumbled with the lock before sliding down to the surface to the floor. He inhaled the fresh - and never had it been considered fresh before - air deeply, covering his face with shaking hands. 

His teeth were aching badly, feeling like they were being tugged right out of his jaw, his nerves on edge. Every vein in his body felt like it was trying to escape, the blood rushing so fast that he could hear his own pulse roaring in his ears. 

The air was too thick, too hot, even with the isolation it felt too overwhelming. bite bite bite was swirling around his head even though there was nothing - or no one - to bite, and the pressure was ten times worse than any headache he had ever experienced before.

_You need blood_ his brain supplied, _you’re going to die without blood._

Not true, it wasn’t true, it was a craving and nothing more; but it hurt so much, he just wanted to-

In fear, in an attempt to stifle the need, he lifted his own wrist to his mouth and felt his fangs slide into the soft skin with no resistance. Warm blood filled his mouth so fast that he nearly choked on it, his instincts kicking in as he swallowed down a mouthful and then another, but it did nothing. Not a damn thing to quench his thirst. It was bitter and thick in his mouth, coating his teeth and throat as it went down. 

He realised he was probably breathing too quickly and he didn’t notice someone coming into the bathroom until checkerboard patterned shoes poked underneath the door and a voice rang out.

"Michael are you in here?" 

Inhaling deeply, Michael swallowed the mouthful of blood and pulled his wrist from his mouth, "Go away Ray," he choked out, swirling the tangy taste around between his lips. 

“Nope,” Ray said firmly. The door dipped towards him and Michael saw Ray’s jeans come into view as he slid to the floor on the other side of the stall, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“ _Fuck off_ , Ray!” 

His throat was dry, he was gasping painfully; the air thickening again with the heat of another body just a foot away from him. The taste of his own blood had washed away, replaced with the heavy taste of poison or something along those lines. Everything inside his body screamed at him to rip open the stall door, close his mouth around his best friends throat, tear it to shreds and drink the sweet nectar that drained out. 

He clasped his hands over his head once again, his own blood dripping down his wrist though the bite marks were already beginning to heal over.

The door creaked, “Move over.” Someone said quietly, voice too whispered for Michael to recognise who, and there was a brief sound of shuffling before the bathroom door shut again. 

“Michael.” The voice belonged to Ryan, he could tell now that the boy was closer, and addressing Michael directly. Michael sniffled, embarrassed by the tears that had begun to trickle down his face.

"You're scared" Ryan said softly, "I can smell it.”

The door shook again as Ryan, too, slid down to Michael’s level. The older boy stuck his hand through the gap under the door, letting Michael know it was okay, he wasn’t alone; but Michael _needed_ to be alone, he could see the blood flowing in the veins under Ryan’s skin and he wanted to drink him dry. Michael’s heartbeat picked up as he attempted to hold his breath against the deep scent that was once again _too close_.

"Why are you scared?" He was speaking so gently that Michael thought about how many times he must have done this before - probably with Geoff, he considered numbly - but the softness helped against the pounding in the vampires head. He still didn’t speak. 

“You’re okay, Michael, it’s only us.”

Michael let out a slow breath as Ray’s voice sounded alongside Ryan’s, "I'm scared about what I could do to you,” he admitted, “what I want to do to you," His words came out as a sob, choked by the craving that was swirling through his brain.

“The blood lust started?” Michael nodded to the question; although Ryan couldn’t see him, he hoped the hitch in his breath would say everything for him.

Clicking his tongue, Ryan deliberated something within himself. He pulled himself off the floor and stood behind Ray. Water ran into the sink for a few seconds before Ryan shoved a thick wad of paper towels under the faucet, soaking them thoroughly before handing them down to Ray. 

“Here, hold this to your neck,” he instructed, nodding in satisfaction when Ray cocked his head in question but followed the order and pressed the sopping wet bundle to his throat. He soaked another handful and held it to his own skin, the ice cold soothing him just as much as the vamp behind the door. As a second thought he dampened a third wad and gestured for Ray to pass it under the door to Michael.

Barely taking a second to question it, Michael took the advice Ryan had given to Ray and held the icy cold to his own throat. Almost immediately the air seemed to thin out, the pulsing blood pressure lowering to a more even level that allowed Michael to swallow down the saliva that had built up in his mouth. 

Now only the headache remained, forced on by the blood pumping too quickly through his veins for too long. He felt kind of dizzy too, remembering his panicked action where he had drained a good portion of his own blood which would take a little while to replenish. 

After a minute or two Ryan knocked on the door, “better?”

Michael glanced up. Finally able to breathe again, he leaned up - still holding the paper towels against his throat, though the wad had warmed considerably - and flicked the lock on the stall door. 

Ray scrambled to his feet as Ryan gently nudged open the door, taking care in case Michael was just on the other side. As it stood, there was enough room for the door to swing open, giving the two a perfect view of the pitiful vampire slumped by the toilet. 

His lips were smudged with dark blood and Ray cocked his head in confusion before his eyes narrowed on the equally bloodied skin of Michael’s bare wrist and _oh, Michael,_ it was clear what he’d done. 

“You need to ditch,” Ryan said firmly, taking the wad of warm paper from the vamps hands and using it to quickly wash off the smear of Michael’s own blood from his lips. Michael would have objected but the poison swirling through his brain was hurting.

With one hand each from both of the boys, Michael hauled himself to his feet, staggering on stiff legs.

He kept his head low, ducking behind Ryan’s arms as they stepped out into the hallway. Classes were still going on, it had only been around half a period, so the hallway was pretty clear save for the odd student passing by. 

All three were grateful, they just needed to get Michael to the car uninterrupted, get him away from the school. With some fresh air in his lungs, it might be easier to keep a hold of himself - or at least that’s what Geoff said helped him - but unfortunately they barely made it across a single walk of hallway before they were caught out.

Because nobody counted on Gavin.

The Brit came barreling down the hallway, feet pounding on the linoleum floor. He ran full pelt at Michael, tackling him so hard that Ray and Ryan were both pushed away and Michael had to hold tight to the Brit’s back to keep himself standing. 

“I saw you running past the window, you okay boy?”

His arms kept Michael against him, chest to chest; his neck sitting dangerously close to Michael’s lips. It was too soon, too soon after resisting the blood lust; he felt dizzy and sick, something clicked inside him and-

Gavin let out a terrified squawk as Michael’s fangs pierced his neck. They slid in with no resistance, stabbing pain through Gavin’s throat, before hands were yanking him back with a loud cry of, “NO!” 

Gavin’s eyes widened as they met those of the boy being dragged away from him. Black had completely swallowed his usually golden iris' and was seeping into the whites too, bleeding tiny tendrils until his whole eye was a void of darkness. Dark veins began raising to the surface, surrounding his eyes and drawing the skin taught and waxy. His face had dramatically paled to an icy grey, and his teeth were bared menacingly, globs of Gavin’s own blood dripping from the ends of sharp fangs. 

As soon as the blood touched his tongue Michael blacked out. He wasn’t aware of anything beyond the sweet taste of blood that wasn’t his. It tasted like the sweetest nectar, tangy and fresh on his palette; everything in the world narrowed to that single rush and he neither noticed nor cared when he was being torn backwards. His fangs ripped skin as they were forcefully removed but Michael was blind to it all. 

While his mental state may have been running free, his physical body was snarling and snapping like an animal possessed. It took both Ryan and Jack - who, once again, had been acting as Gavin’s babysitter - to get the violent vamp onto the ground, using their entire body weight to keep him down as he thrashed wildly, seeking out more of the sweet blood.

Ray rushed to Gavin’s side, pulling the Brits hand away from his neck to take a look at the wound. Two puncture holes adorned the flesh of his shoulder. In his haste, Michael had missed the main artery in Gavin’s neck but had managed to tear a nice slice into his skin either way. 

“You okay, vav?” he asked with concern for his friend. 

Gavin didn’t reply, only continued to stare, his eyes fixed on the thrashing body of his best friend as he fought Jack and Ryan’s hold.

"It's okay," Ray assured, using one hand to direct Gavin's eyes away from the spectacle, "his bloodlust hit hard." 

Gavin nodded distantly, and Ray saw over his shoulder that there was a hell of a crowd gathering in classroom doorways to gawk at the vampire who - though weaker now - carried on fighting on the ground. 

"Why don't you come with me to the bathroom," Gavin agreed dumbly and Ray looped his arm through the other boys. 

He led the dazed boy away from the scene, returning to the bathroom he had - just moments before - been comforting Michael in. 

Gavin caught his reflection in the mirror and gagged, his own blood crusty on his shoulder, smeared by his hand. 

“He bit me,” he whispered, touching a finger hesitantly to one of the teeth marks while Ray soaked a smaller handful of paper towels to clean him up.

When Ray said nothing, Gavin snapped out of his daze, “he bit me,” he repeated firmly, this time looking directly at Ray and not his shoulder. 

“Yes, he did,” Ray said with a brisk nod, outside they could hear the commotion building to a crescendo before it stopped completely. 

Gavin eyed the door nervously while Ray began his methodical cleaning with the wet clump of paper. The blood washed away easily, smearing slightly before soaking into the paper and dripping away down the sink. As he worked, Ray too kept an eye on the door; it had been quiet for longer than they would have liked. 

Once the blood was all cleaned off Ray carefully dabbed the wound dry with his shirt sleeve - paying no mind to the two red smudges that printed onto the fabric - and tossed the gross wad of tissue into the trash. 

"Geoff's never bitten me," Gavin said suddenly, his tone was clearer, less dazed and he winced when moving away from the counter pulled at the tears in his skin. 

They both flinched, startled as the door swung open with no warning, thudding against the opposite wall. 

For a second - only a second - the thought swirled in their heads that maybe Michael had broken away and he was coming back to get a follow up drink. Instead the person who appeared in the doorway, looking stressed and ragged, was Geoff. 

“Gavin,” he breathed, relief clear in his voice and took the few steps towards the Brit, arms wide as he embraced his friend. 

“Are you okay?” he asked. 

Ray caught a glimpse of something in the mirror and stared at Geoff. It took him a few seconds to realise that there was blood on the older boys hands; still wet and shining, underneath his fingernails too. Ray squirmed uncomfortably. 

“Yeah, yeah I’m top,” Gavin replied, sighing happily with Geoff’s arms around him, “It’s just a little nick.”

That made Geoff hold Gavin at arms length and into the light to appraise the mark. 

Ray shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to interrupt the moment, “is Michael okay?” 

Geoff looked up as if only just realising the younger boy was in the room, “yes, yes he’s fine, coming down from the lust,” he said dismissively before returning his attention to Gavin. 

Rolling his eyes, Ray slipped past the two, bumping the door against Geoff’s back as he stepped out into the hallway. Quiet mumbling picked up from the room as the door shut behind him. 

It was empty now, though one of the teachers stood protectively at the other end, obviously stopping anyone from further investigating whatever had been going on. 

“Ray,” his name was said softly and he turned to his left to see Ryan sitting with his back against the lockers, Michael resting to his side. 

Jack, shifted into the form of a young, labrador puppy was curled up in the vamps lap, allowing the tired boy to pet his head calmly while he came down from his manic state. Having a friend who was a shapeshifter came in useful at times like this; Jack could easily draw tension off someone’s shoulder with the creatures he shifted into. The puppy was Michael’s favorite, often coming out in high stress situations when the short-fused boy felt ready to snap. Ray was quite relieved to see it still worked. 

Kneeling before the group, Ray smiled at Michael, meeting his half-lidded dozey eyes. Michael gave a weak grin in return, his fangs flashing in the light and gave a tiny two finger wave with the hand which wasn’t on Jack’s soft head. The self inflicted bite wound from earlier had healed over, only flaking blood remaining on the pale skin; but above that, in the middle of his forearm, were a handful of centimetre wide slices. They were deep, in a curved line, and black with congealing blood - putting that together with the blood on Geoff’s fingernails - it didn’t take a genius to come up with the way Geoff had calmed the young vamp down. 

It was a panic reaction, since wounds inflicted by fellow vampires would take longer to heal and would more than likely scar, but protection won out, and Michael had hurt Gavin. 

“Geoff’s gonna take him back to his place,” Ryan said quietly, “talk to him about all this.” 

Ray nodded, taking Michael’s cold hand in his own, startled by the chill before realising that was a normal part of the inheritance. He’d be cold just like Geoff now. 

“Is Gavin okay? I didn’t mean to scare him,” Michael said, guilt evident in his weak voice. 

Ryan interrupted before Ray had the chance, “don’t worry about Gavin, just focus on staying calm, you still need to drink.” 

Ray was taken aback as Michael nodded against Ryan’s shoulder, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths. He hadn’t considered that, that through this whole ordeal Michael still had to drink. Besides his own blood of course but that wouldn’t have done shit for his thirst.

Geoff came out of the bathroom alone. 

Ray didn’t question it, Gavin was a skittish being on the best of days, he would probably need a few minutes before being able to face Michael again. Especially since his bloodlust was - technically - still in effect. 

Geoff took one look at Michael and his face softened. 

“You’re coming with me.” 

\---

Geoff came from a line of Vampires. Three generations both on his maternal and paternal sides, all bloodsuckers. It was pretty much unheard of in the current generations; as genetics evolved the likelihood of ending up with two generations coming into the same inheritance dropped off the charts, let alone three from two different bloodlines. He’d been assessed at the time, blood drawn and tests done that took him away from school for a week; but nothing came from it, he was a normal creature just like everyone else. 

The benefit of his family tree was that he had been taught, from the first minute of his change, how to handle himself. How to keep himself calm, how to resist the bloodlust that tore through the bloodstream. 

It meant that he became the unofficial mentor for young vamps since - now at 18 - he was basically a master of the subject; but Michael hadn’t been normal. He had come into it a week late, fully fledged instead of a slowly developing time bomb. Which is why no one would blame Geoff for what happened. 

Nothing was said during the car ride; Michael was too out of it, fingers periodically digging into the wounds on his arm to stave off the hunger from coming back. Geoff sat in the drivers seat, keeping his eyes on the road and knowing better than to initiate the conversation until they were someone safe. 

Geoff’s house was in the outskirts of Austin, a stylish A-frame structure which stood out against the horizon, alone on a long stretch of road. Though he once lived there with his parents, they had moved away not long ago, leaving Geoff to do whatever he wanted; which was pretty much the sole reason why the once pristine building resembled more of a barn these days, with chipped paint and cracked windows. 

Other than the bedroom and spare room, which doubled as Gavin’s hidey-hole, all of the other rooms were all one one floor. The lounge led through to the kitchen and that was where Geoff headed for as soon as they walked into the house. Though Michael had been there plenty of times before, used to acting at home there, now he stood uncomfortably in the doorway - edgy and nervous. 

“Have a seat,” Geoff said curtly, gesturing to the threadbare couch beneath the bay window.

Michael moved stiffly, perching on the edge of the couch. 

He wouldn’t admit it but, the moment Geoff opened the fridge, he smelled it; the sweet scent from pints of blood. There was something off about the smell. Something he couldn’t place, and something he knew he wouldn’t have even been able to identify in his old human form. 

“It’s the blood bank stuff,” Geoff supplied, smirking when Michael blinked up at him owlishly, eyes wide in surprise as he tried to figure out whether Vampirism meant mind reading too, “it’ll never smell the same.” 

A few times Michael considered saying something to break the silence, but every word would get caught in his throat. Geoff bustled around in the small kitchen straight ahead of Michael; filling a pot with water, he set it to boil on the stove and dampened the corner of a dish cloth before returning to the lounge. 

He wrapped his fingers around Michael’s left elbow and cradled his arm as he wiped the dampened fabric over the dried blood on Michael’s wrist. It hadn’t been cleaned off before Ray and Ryan had tried to get him out of the school and flaked away easily with each swipe of the cloth. There was still rusty red underneath Geoff’s fingernails as he set to work cleaning his own marks on the younger boys forearm. Those wounds, unlike the bite mark, hadn’t even begun the healing process yet. 

Michael let him work wordlessly, flinching every time the cloth passed over the spots where Geoff’s fingernails had dug in. It had been a hell of a shock to the system, feeling those nails slice through his skin like butter, dragging him straight back down from the frenzy he had been in. 

As Geoff stepped out of the room, Michael focused on the small puffs of steam starting to rise from the pot on the stove. It was calming, distracting him from the tangy smell of blood and the empty pit in his stomach. 

Geoff made quick work of wrapping up the lads arm when he returned. No gauze, just a reel of bandage which he wound around the wounds before tearing the end in half and tying off his work in a tight knot. 

“Good,” he muttered to himself as he shuffled back into the kitchen and stood over the pot, nodding in satisfaction before pulling a blood bag from the fridge. 

Working methodically, Geoff snipped into the top of the bag before pinching the opposite side between the teeth of the forceps. Steam billowed from the water by then, engulfing the blood bag as Geoff held it around a foot over the boiling pot. 

As the steam slowly worked at warming the chilled liquid, Geoff hummed to himself. It was a tune that flicked a switch of recognition in the back of Michael’s head but he couldn’t quite place the name; the sound was soothing, however, sinking right into the depths of Michael’s soul.

Knowing that Geoff was one to enjoy drinking directly from the bag, Michael was pleasantly surprised and grateful when - once the steam had heated the bag enough - the older Vampire poured out the warmed blood into a regular coffee mug and tossed the bag into the trash as he passed by. 

“Here,” he said, handing the mug to Michael. 

The young Vamp felt his teeth throb in anticipation of the fluid and he’d downed almost the whole mug before the taste hit his palette and he spluttered, losing a little over his lip and it dribbled down his chin. It tasted nothing like Gavin’s blood had tasted! Hell, it didn’t even come close to his _own_ blood; it was bitter, sour and unnaturally tangy. 

_Bloodbank stuff, _his brain supplied unhelpfully, cleaned and mixed with preservatives to keep it storable. The plasma had also been filtered out, he could tell that almost immediately as he smacked his lips.__

__There was better stuff out there, unfiltered and pure, teeming with flavours that were favourable to a vampires palette; but that stuff cost an arm and a leg to get hold of, generally only available to to the creme de la creme of vampires. Which Geoff wasn’t, and Michael _really_ wasn’t._ _

__Michael glanced up to see Geoff cringing sympathetically, having grabbed his own bag from the fridge. He bit into the centre of the plastic and half-drained the bag in seconds._ _

__Michael scrunched up his nose, “It tastes-”_ _

__“Different to Gavin’s?” Geoff cut in, making hard eye contact with Michael as his gulped down the second half of his drink, the bag crinkling up in his hands._ _

__So, they were at that point, the conversation._ _

__Deciding to get right to the point Michael jumped right in, “I didn’t mean-”_ _

__“I know,” Geoff said briskly; he gestured to the almost empty mug in Michaels hands, “finish that.”_ _

__The taste didn't take him quite as off guard the second time he began to drink, though the bitter flavor remained the same. Draining the last dregs of warm blood, he had to admit it made him feel better, the liquid settling in his stomach just as well as any of his favorite meals. The fine tremors that had been plaguing him stopped completely, replaced with renewed strength._ _

__"Better right?" Geoff said knowingly._ _

__Michael nodded gratefully as he put the empty mug down on the coffee table and wiped one hand across his mouth. The edges of his fingers came back red and he greedily lapped up the bloody remains from the skin._ _

__"You'll get used to the flavor," Geoff assured him,as he dropped his empty bag into the mug and licked his lips, "it's nothing compared to the fresh stuff but believe me you won't be getting that again."_ _

__There was something dangerous in Geoff’s eyes, something Michael had never seen before - or at least, never directed at him. Michael knew he had crossed a line, one that he had never meant to cross, one that he didn’t intend to even tiptoe beside again._ _

__“Honestly, Geoff, I really didn’t mean to do it. I just couldn’t…” as he trailed off, Geoff relented._ _

__“It’s okay, I understand,” Geoff smiled gently._ _

__“Is Gavin mad?” Michael asked in a small voice._ _

__“He was a little shaken up,” the older vamp admitted, “but his _boi_ did just try to tear his throat out, so I think we can give him a little leeway on that one.”_ _

__"I didn't hurt him badly did I?" Michael asked nervously._ _

__"No, no just a basic bite," Michael sighed in relief but Geoff held up a finger to stop him from speaking. "Don't get me wrong, you could have. You could have done some serious damage today, not just to Gavin."_ _

__“I promise I won’t let it happen again, it was just an impulse, it won’t be so strong next time,” Michael said emphatically but Geoff was already shaking his head._ _

__“The lust will stay the same, Michael. Do you think I can resist because it’s weaker?” the young vampire didn’t want to say yes, though that was actually exactly what he had thought. His silence spoke more than any words could._ _

__“Oh Michael, poor naive Michael,” Geoff cooed, turning on the couch so he could cross his legs and face Michael. The lad mirrored him, huffing indignantly at the patronising tone._ _

__“It’s no _easier_ than the first time I got it, the only difference now is I’ve learned to _control_ it.”_ _

__Michael bit his lip, noting dimly that he managed to do it without cutting the skin, “But what if I can’t? control it I mean.”_ _

__“You will,” Geoff assured and there was something in his voice which made Michael inclined to believe him, “I wasn’t there for you today but I’m going to be there for you from now on.”_ _

__Michael immediately jumped to argue, not one to let Geoff blame himself for something that had absolutely not been his fault but again he was silence by a flick of Geoff’s hand._ _

__"A tip for next time,” he offered, “don't bite yourself, you only end up more likely to frenzy."_ _

__Michael nodded. Interesting, no wonder he had lost control when he’d bitten Gavin._ _

__“You know Gavin won’t hold a grudge unless there’s money involved,” Geoff said to lighten the mood, it worked and Michael felt a smile tugging on his lips; he let it stay there, held on by the grin Geoff was beaming at him._ _

__“Thanks, Geoff,” Michael said gently, falling back into a vaguely uncomfortable position but the stress on his mind had left him exhausted._ _

__Geoff said nothing in reply, but the sound of the TV turning on and the older boy curling up more comfortably himself made Michael’s heart flutter._ _

__Some time later, when all that was left in the netflix queue was trash and reality shows, the front door clicked open and Gavin wandered in. He was alone, his eyes locking immediately with Michael’s, and for a brief moment Michael didn’t want to breathe. He wasn’t sure what to say, his eyes narrowing on the bite mark adorning the Brit’s neck; the edges had bruised from rough treatment and the torn holes had scabbed over. A wave of guilt washed over him._ _

__Gavin however didn’t even flinch. Instead he dropped his bag to the floor by the window, kicking off his shoes as he made his way slowly over to the couch. Geoff sat stiffly at one end, leaving a space in the middle for the Brit to climb on beside Michael, his body comfortably curling up against the new vampire._ _

__“Just so you know, if these scar, Geoff’s gonna kick your arse,” he mumbled, tucking his head into the space between Michael’s folded arms._ _

__Michael chuckled and wrapped his arms around the Brit, sighing in relief and feeling a hell of a lot lighter._ _


End file.
